“Where is he who is born king of the Jews?” the magi asked. That question alerted Herod to the presence of a rival in his midst. To eliminate the rival he had his soldiers kill all children in an entire region of his realm. “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked Jesus mockingly….

It is an extraordinary scene. Into the room swaggers the representative of the dominant nation on earth, wearing the uniform that spells power and authority. He probably sinks languidly onto his couch. As the local focus of Empire, this man is burdened with the daily responsibility of ruling probably the most difficult of the colonies….

When we think of kings and queens, we easily link the thought to tyranny or scandal. Living in a republican democracy, it is difficult for us understand what possible connection there might be between Jesus and monarchy. After all, Jesus was “meek and mild.” He was so humble that he rode a donkey into Jerusalem…

It is the Franciscans, followers of Saint Francis of Assisi, who have led the church to designate this last Sunday of the Christian year the Sunday of Christ the King, celebrating the ultimate kingship of Jesus in our lives. Celebrating the fact that we are a people who like Jesus choose to live in God’s…

We come today to the end of the church year, the Last Sunday after Pentecost. Through this past year, we have traveled the course of the Gospel, marked for us by the Creed. We have stood at the stable, at the cross, in the garden of resurrection, and in the upper room as the Holy…